TOPIC 1 & 2 Intro to Civil Rights Movement
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w/b 6th June If you are Bubble 2, only do THE FIRST TOPIC SESSION Learning Objective To understand how black people were discriminated against during the 1900s . Key words Take 2 topic lessons to Discrimination do the tasks on these Segregation slides. In the early 1900’s, segregation in the southern states of the USA meant that white and black people were separated from each other. Black and white people had separate sections of the buses and restaurants that they were allowed to sit in, and even different churches that they could attend. They were also not allowed to vote and didn’t have the same equal standard of education as the white people. Many white people in the southern states were racist and didn’t feel as though black people should have equal rights. Even though slavery had ended in 1863, many white people continued to discriminate against black people and treated them badly. Spot the apostrophe mistake Here you can find a short video about Martin Luther King as well as videos about other civil rights activists. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjkj382 Read through the experiences that Martin Luther King had as a child during this time of segregation in America. You will find this on the word document called MLK Childhood. Complete the tasks on this sheet too. There is also another sheet called How Would You Feel? I have a dream… • https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=pG8X0vOvi7Q (I have a dream speech at 4:08) • https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ p00w4f4d (a small girl’s perspective on the day of the speech) Civil Rights in the UK Please watch the following link with an adult if possible in order to discuss it. Following the second world war, mainland Britain faced a labour shortage and looked to its Caribbean colonies (including Jamaica and Barbados) to help fill the gap. A small but growing stream of mainly young men came to Britain in the 1950s as British citizens. HMS Windrush • In 1963, 19-year-old Jamaican, Guy Bailey, made his way to a job interview with Bristol Omnibus Company, the city’s bus service. • Paul Stephenson, Bristol’s first Black youth officer, had arranged the interview for Guy, first checking that there were jobs available, and that Guy had the qualifications to do the work. But when Guy turned up to his interview, he found that it had been cancelled. In an interview with the BBC 50 years later, Guy recalled the exact moment he was rejected by the receptionist. “She said to the manager: ‘Your two o’clock appointment is here. But he’s black.’ And the manager said: ‘Tell him we have no vacancies here, all vacancies are filled.’” What do you think about this? How would you feel? • In response, Stephenson got the West Indian Development Council to call for a boycott of Bristol’s buses. This was in April 1963. Some students and tutors from the University of Bristol staged a demonstration in the city centre in support. They were heckled by angry busmen opposed to their protest. • The local newspapers were suddenly full of passionate letters both for and against the policy. Tempers ran high and the union that represented the bus workers clashed with Stephenson. He later successfully sued for libel. More than 100 university students marched in support, and everyone boycotting the bus service either walked or cycled to get around the city. The day before Martin Luther King Jr told an audience of 250,000 that he had a dream, a meeting of 500 bus employees met and agreed to discontinue Bristol Omnibus Company’s unofficial colour bar. The day after, the manager committed to ending it for good. He announced “the only criterion will be the person’s suitability for the job”. But it is important to note that, to date, Bristol Omnibus, called First Somerset and Avon, has never apologised for its actions. Do you think there should be an apology? In 1965, the United Kingdom Parliament passed a Race Relations Act, which made "racial discrimination unlawful in public places". This was followed by the Race Relations Act 1968 which made it illegal to cause difficulties in getting housing and employment. Some people believe that the Bristol Bus Boycott helped to push for this act. Do you think these laws are good? In 2009, Stephenson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for his part in organising the bus boycott. Why do you think it took so long to get this award? Why are people racist? Racism = Discriminating against people because of their race (colour of their skin) Why shouldn’t people be racist? Create a poster that campaigns against racism and segregation in any country. Try to include clear reasons as to why it is wrong..